- Definition

Description of the terms and benefits provided by the employer's defined contribution plans. A defined contribution plan provides benefits in return for services rendered, provides an individual account for each participant, and has terms that specify how contributions to the individual's account are to be determined rather than the amount of benefits the individual is to receive. Under a defined contribution pension plan, the benefits a participant will receive depend solely on the amount contributed to the participant's account, the returns earned on investments of those contributions, and forfeitures of other participants' benefits that may be allocated to such participant's account. A description of the plan(s) including employee groups covered, the basis for determining contributions, and the nature and effects of significant matters affecting comparability of information for all periods presented.

+ References+ Details

Employee Benefit Plan - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Feb. 02, 2013 D	Jan. 28, 2012	Jan. 29, 2011
Defined Benefit Plans and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans Table Text Block [Line Items]
Description of 401(K) plan	Effective January 1, 1995, we adopted the Hot Topic 401(k) Plan, or the 401(k) Plan. All employees who have been employed by us for at least 90 days and are at least 21 years of age are eligible to participate. Employees may contribute up to 25% of their eligible compensation to the 401(k) Plan, subject to a statutorily prescribed annual limit.
Minimum number of days employed to qualify for 401(k) plan	90
Annual contribution by employer	$ 366,000	$ 381,000	$ 384,000
Percentage of employer match on the first 4% of participants eligible contribution	50.00%
Minimum
Defined Benefit Plans and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans Table Text Block [Line Items]
Minimum age to qualify for 401(K) plan	21
Maximum
Defined Benefit Plans and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans Table Text Block [Line Items]
Maximum percentage of eligible compensation an employee could contribution to 401(K) plan	25.00%